Junior Entrepreneur Programme Success

Congratulations to the KS2 pupils who have successfully completed the Junior Entrepreneur Programme 2017. (JEP) On Thursday 30th March the pupils invited family and friends to their showcase event. This was the culmination of a lot of hard work and dedication.

Work on the project began in January when pupils enrolled in the programme and researched what an entrepreneur does and what entrepreneurial skills you need to be a successful business person. They then were encouraged to think of their own business idea. These were discussed and shared with the group. One idea was chosen by each group to be put forward as their bid for the programme.

Each team then presented their idea to the Dragons for consideration. The dragons comprised Miss Largey, Mrs McKenna and local business entrepreneur, Mrs. Ann Henderson. After careful consideration the Dragons selected one winning idea. This idea was Super Stylish Stones.

All children had the opportunity to interview Mrs. Henderson, proprietor of Cafe Rose and Back Of Beyond restaurant. She shared her experiences of setting up and running a business.

The children identified their own business strengths and talents before selecting a team to work in that reflected these attributes. Now the hard work really began. Each team identified tasks to be completed and collaborated with other teams to ensure the project goals were kept on track. A special Mother's Day Sale was held in school and stones were also displayed for sale in Cafe Rose in Caledon village.

The result was a fabulous Showcase event, where each team shared their experiences with the audience. The Sales team enjoyed presenting and selling the product. The Marketing team thought up appropriate ways to target the potential buyers such as a catchy song and an ad campaign. The Production and Design team worked hard to produce the product to a very high standard. The Finance team monitored and tracked the spending of the project using a spreadsheet. They completed a costing and profit/loss analysis. The public relations team pulled everyone's effort together in an Imovie presentation and co-ordinated and led the presentation of the Showcase event.

Parents had the opportunity to purchase the product after the children's presentation. We do not have the final tally of the sales yet, but the finance team are confident that they will make a healthy profit. The children will decide whether to add the profits to an end of year trip or to distribute the profit among the shareholders.